Sample bottles are used to sample fluids from a downhole environment and transport those fluids to an uphole environment for testing and identification. Sample bottles are regularly used in typical oil field service work and are a vital component of technologies used in modern drilling operations.
Typical sample bottles have several drawbacks that may cause error during sampling. In these typical sample bottles, a separation piston is positioned and constructed so that the piston can slide in a fluid chamber and along a central rod. The position of the separation piston is used as an indicator of sample capture. The separation piston can have a relatively long stroke. By way of example, the typical stroke is approximately one (1) meter. If the detection of the stroke is performed with a precision of two (2) percent of the entire measurement range, this translates into an uncertainty of approximately two (2) centimeers on the piston position.
This uncertainty may be insufficient for the purpose of assuring that the bottle is full or properly sealed.